In a podcast interview, Arsenio Hall revealed that “Coming to America,” a classic 1988 comedy starring Eddie Murphy, almost didn’t happen.
In a recent interview, Arsenio Hall revealed that “Coming to America,” a classic 1988 comedy starring Eddie Murphy, Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones and John Amos, almost didn’t happen.
According to Hall, when the film was pitched, it was not well received and was rejected; “They rejected Coming to America. We pitched the idea to Paramount and they said: ‘No, thank you.’”
During his appearance on the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” the 70-year-old comedian said they still insisted and asked for suggestions on how to get the idea accepted, but without success, and were told the film was a story that had already been seen many times.
But according to Hall, it was Ned Tanen, then president of Paramount, who offered constructive feedback and a spot-on suggestion: “What if the people you meet in America were played by Eddie?” he said.
Eddie Murphy, known for his versatility on “Saturday Night Live,” and Hall, an up-and-coming comedian, then created the iconic barbershop scene, in which Murphy not only plays Prince Akeem, but also portrays barbershop owner Clarence and Saul, a Jewish customer.
Encouraged by Murphy, Hall also played several characters beyond Semmi, Akeem’s personal assistant, such as Reverend Brown, Morris the barber, and the “Extremely Ugly Girl.”
The rest is history; the film was a huge success, grossing $288 million worldwide for Paramount Pictures.
A sequel to the film was released directly on streaming in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic, with Murphy, Hall and James Earl Jones returning, in what would be his final film role.
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